All things considered, Hunter Mann sounded pretty good when talking to him Wednesday. He was upbeat, his voice was strong, and he was looking forward.

 

Considering he just completed his 19^th chemotherapy treatment this month as he battles cancer, it was certainly good news to hear from this young man. Mann is still not three months removed from learning he had ALL Leukemia B Cell and is in his second set of treatment cycles with a schedule for the third set to start and be revealed Monday.

 

It was on Jan. 17 when he was diagnosed, and on Jan. 23 when he learned it was the type mentioned above. Without going into details, if you have Leukemia this is the diagnosis preferred and the one the Mann family was hoping to hear.

 

That doesn’t mean it’s been easy. Chemotherapy can wear a person down, even a young healthy individual like Hunter Mann. The cycles of going four days for chemo for two straight weeks eventually got to him.

 

“I kind of didn’t know what to expect with the treatment because everything is new to me, a lot of it is changing and then that becomes new to me,” said Mann. “Recently, it’s been a little worse than I thought it would be and part of that was because I was doing great with the first chemo. In the first cycle nothing really affected me, and the doctors were shocked.

 

“The next cycle, the one I’m finishing, started hitting harder and I didn’t feel good,” he continued. “I had to go to the hospital twice. I’m not going to lie. It’s been a little rough, and hard sometimes to be positive and look forward to things.”

 

There was one thing Mann looked forward to during the early treatments and something he’s looking forward to when he’s done. He wants to spend more time with Richie Adams.

 

If you don’t recognize the name and those in Mann’s own social circle don’t, there’s a reason for it. Richie Adams is a second-grade student at Nutter Fort Elementary.

 

“I met him in February during treatments,” said Mann.

 

Mann found out about this energetic and sports-loving 9-year-old through church. Both are members of Jewell City Church and they hung out at times while getting treatments. For those that know Mann, it’s no surprise they hit it off.

 

“I met him in February, and he was a blast to be around. We would throw the football to each other and he would fire it,” said Mann. “We both forget about the fact we were dealing with the same type of Leukemia and treatments, so we played around a lot. It’s been one of the best experiences.”

 

Recently, Richie Adams got to “ring the bell” at WVU Medicine Children’s. He completed three years of treatments and the bell ringing is tradition when finishing up.

 

Although Adams is no longer there, Mann said he can’t wait for when he’s finished with these cycles. He said the two have plans.

 

“He likes baseball,” said Mann, a state championship BHS baseball team alum. “When this is over, I’m going to help him with baseball. I’m really looking forward to it.”

 

Mann, whose immune system is compromised due to the chemotherapy, said being in a quarantined situation away from everyone but his father Mike and mother Debbie has been tough. However, he said he still hears from his friends.

 

“My friends call all the time and it’s hard to tell them to stay away right now, but they get it and I get it. It’s still tough,” he said. “Even my brothers can’t come over right now, or my niece and nephew or my grandparents and I can’t go and see them.”

 

While Mann admits that part of it has bummed him out, he said when you add the “social distancing” factor in with his treatments, his perspective has changed. He said it would be hard not to have it change.

 

“Yeah, your perspective changes. My parents already have told me I’ve changed and I’m fine with that,” said Mann. “As much as I love hanging out with my friends and am looking forward to that, I didn’t hang out with my nieces and nephews. I facetime them very day now, talk to them and think about family a lot. This has made me really become more family oriented and I think that’s a good thing.”

 

That is a good thing. The fact that he’s getting his medicines regulated a bit better as he progresses is a good thing. The fact he’s on pace with progressing on the medical front as expected is a good thing. And the fact he should be home and beating cancer on Easter Sunday is a good thing too.

 

“There’s good days and bad days and I’m thankful for the good days … I’m also extremely thankful for the support and to have recently got to spend some time fishing near Elkins and stay in a cabin,” said Mann. “My friends and family, and even people I don’t know, it’s just unbelievable how much they’ve supported me. That’s the good thing through this bad thing. It’s a really good thing.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Hunter Mann with his buddy Richie Adams during treatments earlier this year, while he's shown with his father Mike during a recent fishing getaway and his bother Debbie at Black Water Falls this winter. All photos courtesy of the Mann family.